My kitten constantly kneads and sucks blankets. Is it harmful?

Question

I am fostering some rescue kittens and one of them is constantly kneading on blankets. He is 5 mos. He does this non stop for long long periods of time. The others knead sometimes but don't suck on blanket. Is there something I should be doing with this kitten or just let him do it as long as he needs to. Worried that he might ingesting some of the blanket fibers. Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 6 months and 5 days old | 3 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

Sometimes this can be a sign that the kitten was weaned to early or that it is feeling stress. Kneading and sucking on fabric is a way to soothe themselves. The kneading shouldn't pose a health hazard, but the sucking can certainly lead to ingestion of too much foreign material which can lead to an intestinal obstruction. If you find that Ollie prefers one blanket or type of material, try to keep that away from him. You may want to also give him some extra one-on-one time or extra exercise in the form of play to keep him occupied. Here is a good article with a few more tips: http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/wool-sucking/

My kitten constantly kneads and sucks blankets. Is it harmful?

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